Heating system for railway trains



H. G. GEISSINGER. HEATING SYSTEM FDH RAILWAY TRAINS'.

APPLICATIDN FILED MAY 9. 1919.

Patented May 16, 1922..

FEIT, |-\,.I,.,.I,.-----.

55 which they are in service.

UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY G. GEISSINGER, `or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIGNOR To VAPOR CAR HEATING COMPANY, INC., or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or NEW YORK HEATING SYSTEM FOR RAILWAY TRAINS.

i lSpecicatioin of Letters latent. i Patented May 16, 1922i;

Application led May 9, 1919, Serial No. 295,954.

To all whom t may conce/rfa Be it known that I, HARRY G. GnrssiNenn,

a citizen ot the United States, residinfat Chicago, in the "county of Cook and State of Illinois, `have invented certain `newand useful Improvements in Heating Systems for Railwayfllrains, ol which the Afollowing is a specification."

My invention relates to the heating of the cars of a railway train provided with an electric circuit, for instance, the circuit oi'f an electrically actuated signaling system which is closed when the train is 1n operation, or in readiness for operation, for ample when thelocomotive is coupled up to the cars oi the train.

The object of the invention is to `provide y apparatus for controlling the inflow of steam to the radiators of a car which will be automatically conditioned, when the locomotive is disconnected from a train, to reduce the amountot heating medium passing through the radiators of the car. In this connection I aim to utilize the circumstance that the 2,5 electric signaling circuit of the train is y closed when the car 1s in service and opened when the car is out oi. service and thereby effect the idesired control of the apparatus by providing the apparatus with an electrically actuated device which will respond to the opening of the said electric signaling circuit to reduce the amount of steam utilized for heating the cars during such periods as `the latter are not in Service, during` which periods it is sufficient to heat` the cars only sa e `to such temperature as will prevent the `freezing of water pipes and fixtures or ittings which may contain water. The steam trainpipes of passenger cars, when the cars are not in. service, are usually connected to .the source of supply of steam in the yard or at the terminalgbut in the absence ofsome special means for reducing the flow of steam to the radiators the cars, when thus `stand- "ing empty, will be heated to the same temerature at which they are maintained when 1n service with the train line connected to the locomotive boiler, and the maintenance of temperature at such point duringthe idle periods is entirely unnecessary andinvolves a large waste of fuel since railway cars are* out of service on the average for a very considerable part of the time, frequently for a longer period on the aggregate the time at different car temperatures.

`The invention is illustrated, in a diagrammatic manuel', in the accompanying drawing which is intended to represent the first car, a part oit the second and a part of the locomotive ot a railway train provided with an electrically actuated signal system and with a heating system, the operation of which, in accordance with this invention, is conditioned upon whether a circuit through the signaling apparatus is open or closed.

Referring to the drawing, 10 designates the outline ot a railway car which is provided with a heating coil 11, the iniow of heating medium. to which is governed by a valve l2 operated bya magnet or other elec `trically actuated device 1?).` In the arrangement shown there are two circuit making and breaking thermostats arranged in the car adapted to act alternately to control the energization oit the valve moving device 13, these thermostats being set to function In the drawing theremostat 14, which may be termed the high temperature thermostat, functions to maintain the atmosphere of the car at thc normal living temperature, say 700 Fahrenheit, while the thermostat 15, termed the low temperature thermostat, ,tunetions to maintain the atmosphere of the car at a much lower temperature but suiicient to prevent freezing oi the water pipes, and the like, say at 500 Fahrenheit. 16 is a battei-y or other local source of supply of electrical energy in the car which is connected with the valve moving device I3, the low temperature thermostat l5 and the high temperature thermostat 14 by wires 17, 18 and 1l9.` This circuit completed, so as to in clude either one thermostat or the other, by a wire 20, a switch 21 adapted to. bear against either contact 22 or contact '23, a wire 24 connecting contact 22 with a contact 25, with which theremostat 14 cooperates, and` a wire `2G connecting contact 23 with {'ontact 2T with which thermostat l5 cooperates. The switch 2l is the armature ot an electro-magnet 28 arranged in a circuit comprising wires 29, 30, 31 and 32. This circuit extends through all of the cars oi the train,-is closed when the locomotive is properly coupled up with the cars of the train, and includes a generator 33, or other source Ot electrical. energy, located at any suitable point on the train, for example, in the;locomotive tender, a partial outline of which is indicated at 34. The electrical couplingbetween the car 1() and the adjacent car 35 is-show-n at 36. 'A similar coupling 37 is arrangedy between the car 10 and the locomotive. The'ciicuit just described is part of an electrically actuated signaling system .with which the train-is provided.

To indicate in a generalway the operation of!y the signaling system I have shown a, circuit breaker`38 adapted to cooperate with a contact,r 39,`these elements being in- .cuit breaker 44 in series with the generator 33, `45zbeing a wire connected with conductor 29 and with the circuit breaker 44, 49 a wire-leading from the. circuit breaker tothe generator,4 and 50 a conductor between the other.. pole of the generator and wire 32. By pulling down cord 41 the circuit is broken, deenergizing the circuit breaker 44,

which .thereupon drops its armature 46 upon contact 47 closing the circuit 43 and actuating the signalling device 42. Any suitable means may be employed, automatically voperated oi; otherwise, for openingcircuit 43 when thc-locomotive is disconnected from thetrain. I have shown for purposes of illustrationa circuit breaker 48.

When the rlocomotive is disconnected from the train. the circuit through the electromagnet 28 is broken andl switch 21 falls upon contact-23 closing the local circuit y from the battery 16 through the low temperature thermostat 15. This thermostat will then control the admission of heating medium to the` radiating coil 11 by energizing the magnet 13 so as to attract the ar- Ymature 12 to close the valve 12 or by opening the circuit through the magnet 13 to permit the valve -12 to be opened by the fluid pressure in the train line at. such intervals as may be necessary to maintain the atmos-l phere of the car at the-desired low temperature, for example, at 50" Fahrenheit.

- rhen the locomotive is attached to the train the signaling apparatus will be at once put 'in'to condition. 'for operation by putting the 'coupling in'place.

y As soon as this is donev magnet 2S will be energized, due to 'the closing of its circuit, and will attract its armature 217 breaking the circuit through the-low temperature thermostat 15 and closing the circuit from the battery 16 through the high temperature thermostat 14. The

heating Vsystem of the carjis vnow under the control'oli a rthermostat which functionsto maintain the atmosphere of the car at a normal living temperature, for example, Fahrenheit, as stated.

In the drawing I have shown the high temperature thermostat in control with its contact 25 closed thereby energizing the magnet coil 13 to hold the valve 12 in its closed position. 1When the temperature ot the car falls below the temperature which the high temperature thermostat is .set to maintain, this thermostat will move away from its contact 25 and deenergizc the valve magnet 13 .so as to permit the pressure in the train line to open the valve 12. lVhcn the low temperature thermostat 14. is in control the operation is the same as above described with the exception that the contact 25 remains open so the rise and fall of the car temperature effects the opening and closing olf the local circuit at the low temperature contact 27. These particular arrangements are not at all essential and are shown purely :for the purpose ot illustrating one practical embodiment ot the invention. In fact, so far as details o1 construction and arrangement are concerned, apparatus as shown might be modified to a very considerable extent without departing ifrom the principle of my invention as deined in the claims appended hereto.

I claim: f

1. In combination with a railway car and an electrically actuated apparatus, the circuit of which is closed through a source of supply ot 'current when the car is coupled up in a train tor sci'vice and opened when the car is uncoupled from the train, a heating element in the car, and means conditioned by the actuation of said apparatus to maintain the atmosphere of the car at one.

ot' a plurality of selected temperatures whereby the amount of heating medium introduced into the heating element is made to depend upon whether said electric circuit is closed or open.

2. In combination with a railway car and an electrically actuated apparatus, the circuit ot' which is closed through a source of supply of current when the car is coupled `up ina train for service, a heating element in the car, and means conditioned by the acytuation ot said apparatus for selectively controlling the v,operation of said heating clement whereby the atmosphere ot the car is maintained at diiterent selected temperatures dependent upon whether said electric circuit is open or closed.

3. In combination with a railway car and an electrically actuated apparatus, the circuit ot which is closed through a source of supply of current when the car is coupled up iii a train for service, a heating clement in the cai', and thermostatic means selectively conditioned when said electric circuit is closed to maintain the atmosphere of the car at a relatively high temperature and when said circuit is open to maintain the same at a lower temperature.

4l. "In combination with a railway car and an electrically actuated apparatus, the circuit of which is closed through a source of supply of current when the car is coupled up in a train for service and opened Whenk thcwcar is disconnected from the train, a

heating element in the car, a source of supplyy c an electrically actuated apparatus, the circuit oif Which is closed through a source ot supply of current when the car is coupled up in `aitrain for service, a heating element :in the car, a source o supply of heating medium, a valve to control the low of heati ing medium from said source of supply to thc heating element, high temperature and low temperature circuit making and breaking thermostats, electrically actuated mechanism for effecting the movements of said valve adapted to be controlled by said thermostats alternately, said electrically actuated apparatus in said irst mentioned circuit being adapted, `when energized, to close a circuit through one of said thermostats and the valve movingmechanism, and When de-energizecl to close a circuit through the other thermostat and said Valve moving mechanism.

6. 1n combination With a railway car, signalling` apparatus comprisingT an electric circuit, means for closingr said circuit upon coupling up of the car in a train and breakingV this circuit on un'coupling of the car, a heating apparatus in the car and means for controlling the supply of heating medium f to said heating apparatus the operation of which means 1s dependent upon Whether said electric circuit is open or closed.

HARRY Gr. GEISSINGER. 

